Internet access

This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Many statistics are outdated; the article makes little mention of modern applications of Internet access (e.g. video streaming). Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (June 2023)

Internet
An Opte Project visualization of routing paths through a portion of the Internet
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Internet access is a facility or service that provides connectivity for a computer, a computer network, or other network device to the Internet, and for individuals or organizations to access or use applications such as email and the World Wide Web. Internet access is offered for sale by an international hierarchy of Internet service providers (ISPs) using various networking technologies. At the retail level, many organizations, including municipal entities, also provide cost-free access to the general public.

The availability of Internet access to the general public began with the commercialization of the early Internet in the early 1990s, and has grown with the availability of useful applications, such as the World Wide Web. In 1995, only 0.04 percent of the world's population had access, with well over half of those living in the United States ^[1] and consumer use was through dial-up. By the first decade of the 21st century, many consumers in developed nations used faster broadband technology. By 2014, 41 percent of the world's population had access,^[2] broadband was almost ubiquitous worldwide, and global average connection speeds exceeded one megabit per second.^[3] Types of connections range from fixed cable home (such as DSL and fiber optic) to mobile (via cellular) and satellite.^[4]